Counties in Virginia by traffic fatalities

Fairfax County had the highest traffic fatalities of 133 counties in 2020, at 39. Winchester city had the lowest, at 0. The median was 4 and the figure for Virginia was 850. Source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

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Median4133 counties
Virginia850History

Map of counties, 2020

Accomack County: 5 countAlbemarle County: 17 countAlleghany County: 1 countAmelia County: 6 countAmherst County: 3 countAppomattox County: 1 countArlington County: 6 countAugusta County: 14 countBath County: 1 countBedford County: 10 countBland County: 2 countBotetourt County: 4 countBrunswick County: 4 countBuchanan County: 1 countBuckingham County: 6 countCampbell County: 8 countCaroline County: 8 countCarroll County: 6 countCharles City County: 5 countCharlotte County: 4 countChesterfield County: 34 countClarke County: 3 countCraig County: 0 countCulpeper County: 9 countCumberland County: 3 countDickenson County: 4 countDinwiddie County: 6 countEssex County: 1 countFairfax County: 39 countFauquier County: 11 countFloyd County: 2 countFluvanna County: 4 countFranklin County: 8 countFrederick County: 14 countGiles County: 5 countGloucester County: 6 countGoochland County: 1 countGrayson County: 1 countGreene County: 2 countGreensville County: 4 countHalifax County: 3 countHanover County: 18 countHenrico County: 29 countHenry County: 14 countHighland County: 0 countIsle of Wight County: 6 countJames City County: 7 countKing and Queen County: 3 countKing George County: 3 countKing William County: 5 countLancaster County: 1 countLee County: 4 countLoudoun County: 12 countLouisa County: 6 countLunenburg County: 2 countMadison County: 4 countMathews County: 2 countMecklenburg County: 4 countMiddlesex County: 5 countMontgomery County: 8 countNelson County: 5 countNew Kent County: 6 countNorthampton County: 5 countNorthumberland County: 4 countNottoway County: 5 countOrange County: 8 countPage County: 3 countPatrick County: 4 countPittsylvania County: 18 countPowhatan County: 5 countPrince Edward County: 4 countPrince George County: 3 countPrince William County: 18 countPulaski County: 7 countRappahannock County: 3 countRichmond County: 2 countRoanoke County: 11 countRockbridge County: 2 countRockingham County: 16 countRussell County: 12 countScott County: 5 countShenandoah County: 11 countSmyth County: 5 countSouthampton County: 2 countSpotsylvania County: 13 countStafford County: 7 countSurry County: 4 countSussex County: 11 countTazewell County: 8 countWarren County: 1 countWashington County: 8 countWestmoreland County: 7 countWise County: 5 countWythe County: 9 countYork County: 7 countAlexandria city: 4 countBristol city: 1 countBuena Vista city: 0 countCharlottesville city: 6 countChesapeake city: 12 countColonial Heights city: 0 countCovington city: 1 countDanville city: 8 countEmporia city: 0 countFairfax city: 1 countFalls Church city: 0 countFranklin city: 0 countFredericksburg city: 2 countGalax city: 0 countHampton city: 20 countHarrisonburg city: 3 countHopewell city: 0 countLexington city: 0 countLynchburg city: 6 countManassas city: 1 countManassas Park city: 0 countMartinsville city: 3 countNewport News city: 22 countNorfolk city: 25 countNorton city: 0 countPetersburg city: 7 countPoquoson city: 1 countPortsmouth city: 2 countRadford city: 0 countRichmond city: 27 countRoanoke city: 13 countSalem city: 0 countStaunton city: 1 countSuffolk city: 8 countVirginia Beach city: 26 countWaynesboro city: 0 countWilliamsburg city: 1 countWinchester city: 0 count
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count, 2020. Source: NHTSA, Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), national CSV files: people killed (sum of FATALS in accident.csv) by county of the crash. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

Top 40 counties, 2020

Fairfax County: 39 countFairfax County39Chesterfield County: 34 countChesterfield County34Henrico County: 29 countHenrico County29Richmond city: 27 countRichmond city27Virginia Beach city: 26 countVirginia Beach city26Norfolk city: 25 countNorfolk city25Newport News city: 22 countNewport News city22Hampton city: 20 countHampton city20Hanover County: 18 countHanover County18Pittsylvania County: 18 countPittsylvania County18Prince William County: 18 countPrince William County18Albemarle County: 17 countAlbemarle County17Rockingham County: 16 countRockingham County16Augusta County: 14 countAugusta County14Frederick County: 14 countFrederick County14Henry County: 14 countHenry County14Roanoke city: 13 countRoanoke city13Spotsylvania County: 13 countSpotsylvania County13Chesapeake city: 12 countChesapeake city12Loudoun County: 12 countLoudoun County12Russell County: 12 countRussell County12Fauquier County: 11 countFauquier County11Roanoke County: 11 countRoanoke County11Shenandoah County: 11 countShenandoah County11Sussex County: 11 countSussex County11Bedford County: 10 countBedford County10Culpeper County: 9 countCulpeper County9Wythe County: 9 countWythe County9Campbell County: 8 countCampbell County8Caroline County: 8 countCaroline County8Danville city: 8 countDanville city8Franklin County: 8 countFranklin County8Montgomery County: 8 countMontgomery County8Orange County: 8 countOrange County8Suffolk city: 8 countSuffolk city8Tazewell County: 8 countTazewell County8Washington County: 8 countWashington County8James City County: 7 countJames City County7Petersburg city: 7 countPetersburg city7Pulaski County: 7 countPulaski County7Fairfax County: 39 countFairfax County39Chesterfield County: 34 countChesterfield County34Henrico County: 29 countHenrico County29Richmond city: 27 countRichmond city27Virginia Beach city: 26 countVirginia Beach city26Norfolk city: 25 countNorfolk city25Newport News city: 22 countNewport News city22Hampton city: 20 countHampton city20Hanover County: 18 countHanover County18Pittsylvania County: 18 countPittsylvania County18Prince William County: 18 countPrince William County18Albemarle County: 17 countAlbemarle County17Rockingham County: 16 countRockingham County16Augusta County: 14 countAugusta County14Frederick County: 14 countFrederick County14Henry County: 14 countHenry County14Roanoke city: 13 countRoanoke city13Spotsylvania County: 13 countSpotsylvania County13Chesapeake city: 12 countChesapeake city12Loudoun County: 12 countLoudoun County12Russell County: 12 countRussell County12Fauquier County: 11 countFauquier County11Roanoke County: 11 countRoanoke County11Shenandoah County: 11 countShenandoah County11Sussex County: 11 countSussex County11Bedford County: 10 countBedford County10Culpeper County: 9 countCulpeper County9Wythe County: 9 countWythe County9Campbell County: 8 countCampbell County8Caroline County: 8 countCaroline County8Danville city: 8 countDanville city8Franklin County: 8 countFranklin County8Montgomery County: 8 countMontgomery County8Orange County: 8 countOrange County8Suffolk city: 8 countSuffolk city8Tazewell County: 8 countTazewell County8Washington County: 8 countWashington County8James City County: 7 countJames City County7Petersburg city: 7 countPetersburg city7Pulaski County: 7 countPulaski County7
count. Source: NHTSA, Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), national CSV files: people killed (sum of FATALS in accident.csv) by county of the crash. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2020
count
Change on 2019
1Fairfax County39-20.4%
2Chesterfield County34+54.5%
3Henrico County29+11.5%
4Richmond city27+68.8%
5Virginia Beach city26+18.2%
6Norfolk city25+4.2%
7Newport News city22+29.4%
8Hampton city20+53.8%
9Hanover County18+20%
9Pittsylvania County18+20%
9Prince William County18+28.6%
12Albemarle County17+6.3%
13Rockingham County16+6.7%
14Augusta County140%
14Frederick County14+27.3%
14Henry County14+40%
17Roanoke city13+160%
17Spotsylvania County13-40.9%
19Chesapeake city12-29.4%
19Loudoun County12-7.7%
19Russell County12+50%
22Fauquier County110%
22Roanoke County110%
22Shenandoah County11+175%
22Sussex County11+57.1%
26Bedford County10-37.5%
27Culpeper County9-10%
27Wythe County9+350%
29Campbell County8-33.3%
29Caroline County8+60%
29Danville city8+100%
29Franklin County8-50%
29Montgomery County80%
29Orange County8-27.3%
29Suffolk city8-20%
29Tazewell County8+60%
29Washington County8+60%
38James City County7+600%
38Petersburg city7+40%
38Pulaski County70%
38Stafford County70%
38Westmoreland County7+600%
38York County7-22.2%
44Amelia County6+200%
44Arlington County60%
44Buckingham County6+20%
44Carroll County6+20%
44Charlottesville city6+200%
44Dinwiddie County6-57.1%
44Gloucester County6+500%
44Isle of Wight County6-45.5%
44Louisa County6-50%
44Lynchburg city6+50%
44New Kent County6+50%
55Accomack County50%
55Charles City County5+150%
55Giles County5+400%
55King William County5+150%
55Middlesex County5+66.7%
55Nelson County5+25%
55Northampton County5+400%
55Nottoway County5-50%
55Powhatan County5+150%
55Scott County5-28.6%
55Smyth County5+66.7%
55Wise County5-16.7%
67Alexandria city4-20%
67Botetourt County4-20%
67Brunswick County4-33.3%
67Charlotte County4+33.3%
67Dickenson County4+300%
67Fluvanna County4+300%
67Greensville County40%
67Lee County4+300%
67Madison County4+100%
67Mecklenburg County4-50%
67Northumberland County40%
67Patrick County4+100%
67Prince Edward County4-42.9%
67Surry County4+33.3%
81Amherst County3-25%
81Clarke County3-50%
81Cumberland County3+200%
81Halifax County3-66.7%
81Harrisonburg city3n/a
81King and Queen County30%
81King George County3+50%
81Martinsville city3+200%
81Page County3-57.1%
81Prince George County3-72.7%
81Rappahannock County3+200%
92Bland County20%
92Floyd County2+100%
92Fredericksburg city20%
92Greene County2-33.3%
92Lunenburg County2-50%
92Mathews County2+100%
92Portsmouth city2-66.7%
92Richmond County2-60%
92Rockbridge County2-71.4%
92Southampton County2-81.8%
102Alleghany County1n/a
102Appomattox County1-85.7%
102Bath County10%
102Bristol city1-50%
102Buchanan County1-75%
102Covington city1n/a
102Essex County10%
102Fairfax city1-50%
102Goochland County1-85.7%
102Grayson County1-50%
102Lancaster County1-50%
102Manassas city10%
102Poquoson city10%
102Staunton city1n/a
102Warren County1-85.7%
102Williamsburg city10%
118Buena Vista city0n/a
118Colonial Heights city0-100%
118Craig County0n/a
118Emporia city0-100%
118Falls Church city0n/a
118Franklin city0n/a
118Galax city0-100%
118Highland County0-100%
118Hopewell city0n/a
118Lexington city0n/a
118Manassas Park city0n/a
118Norton city0n/a
118Radford city0-100%
118Salem city0-100%
118Waynesboro city0-100%
118Winchester city0n/a

Other periods

About this ranking

People killed in motor vehicle traffic crashes during the year. FARS counts people who die within 30 days of a crash involving a motor vehicle travelling on a public road, by the place of the crash, not of residence.

A police-based count of deaths. It differs from death certificate counts (CDC) and from the WHO road traffic death rate (road_traffic_death_rate), which is modelled for international comparison.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the counties are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Fatality Analysis Reporting System. Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), national CSV files: people killed (sum of FATALS in accident.csv) by county of the crash. https://static.nhtsa.gov/nhtsa/downloads/FARS/2020/National/FARS2020NationalCSV.zip. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Citation styles

The publisher is the author. Invokely is named only as the place the figures were read, where a style asks for it.

APA 7

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. (2026). Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), national CSV files: people killed (sum of FATALS in accident.csv) by county of the crash (Counties in Virginia by traffic fatalities, 2020) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://static.nhtsa.gov/nhtsa/downloads/FARS/2020/National/FARS2020NationalCSV.zip

MLA 9

Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), national CSV files: people killed (sum of FATALS in accident.csv) by county of the crash, Counties in Virginia by traffic fatalities, 2020. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 24 June 2026, https://static.nhtsa.gov/nhtsa/downloads/FARS/2020/National/FARS2020NationalCSV.zip. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/traffic-fatalities/virginia-counties?period=2020. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. 2026. Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), national CSV files: people killed (sum of FATALS in accident.csv) by county of the crash. Counties in Virginia by traffic fatalities, 2020. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://static.nhtsa.gov/nhtsa/downloads/FARS/2020/National/FARS2020NationalCSV.zip. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/traffic-fatalities/virginia-counties?period=2020.

Harvard

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (2026) Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), national CSV files: people killed (sum of FATALS in accident.csv) by county of the crash, Counties in Virginia by traffic fatalities, 2020 [Dataset]. Available at: https://static.nhtsa.gov/nhtsa/downloads/FARS/2020/National/FARS2020NationalCSV.zip, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/traffic-fatalities/virginia-counties?period=2020 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{national_counties_in_virginia_by_2020,
  author = {{National Highway Traffic Safety Administration}},
  title = {{Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), national CSV files: people killed (sum of FATALS in accident.csv) by county of the crash: Counties in Virginia by traffic fatalities, 2020}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://static.nhtsa.gov/nhtsa/downloads/FARS/2020/National/FARS2020NationalCSV.zip},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/traffic-fatalities/virginia-counties?period=2020. Publisher attribution: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Fatality Analysis Reporting System. Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), national CSV files: people killed (sum of FATALS in accident.csv) by county of the crash. https://static.nhtsa.gov/nhtsa/downloads/FARS/2020/National/FARS2020NationalCSV.zip. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
TI  - Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), national CSV files: people killed (sum of FATALS in accident.csv) by county of the crash: Counties in Virginia by traffic fatalities, 2020
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/06/24
PB  - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://static.nhtsa.gov/nhtsa/downloads/FARS/2020/National/FARS2020NationalCSV.zip
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/traffic-fatalities/virginia-counties?period=2020
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/traffic-fatalities/virginia-counties?period=2020.
N1  - Publisher attribution: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Fatality Analysis Reporting System. Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), national CSV files: people killed (sum of FATALS in accident.csv) by county of the crash. https://static.nhtsa.gov/nhtsa/downloads/FARS/2020/National/FARS2020NationalCSV.zip. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  - 
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Rank Counties in Virginia by traffic fatalities using official data, and cite the source.
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Questions

Which county has the highest traffic fatalities?

Fairfax County, with 39 in 2020, according to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Which county has the lowest traffic fatalities?

Winchester city, with 0 in 2020.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), national CSV files: people killed (sum of FATALS in accident.csv) by county of the crash. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Traffic fatalities: other rankings

Counties in Virginia: more rankings